Tony's Suprise
by Amezzeray
Summary: Tony discovers that he has a daughter... in the worst possible way. Started writing this before Judgement Day, so it will be including Jenny. EVENTUAL TIVA
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was 9am on a Friday morning. Anthony DiNozzo and Ziva David were sat at their desks at NCIS HQ waiting for a case to come in. The last week was pretty quiet, as they had cases that were not pretty difficult and both couldn't wait for the weekend to begin.

"So Zee-vah…what are you reading?" asked a bored Tony who, to be honest, couldn't care less.

"The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald… something McGee recommended"

"…classic"

Ziva put her book down and stared at him with shocked disbelief "you have read this book? Oh no wait… it's a movie isn't it?"

"Robert Redford, Mia Farrow … brilliant"

Ziva rolls her eyes, then she hear's the beep on Tony's computer telling him he's got an e-mail.

"so you have friends afterall , yes?"

"haha" Tony laughs mockingly but his cockiness is quickly shifted.

Ziva notices Tony's sudden change in attitude. "what's wrong??"

"get Gibbs, now" replied Tony with the upmost urgency.

Ziva did not question him and stood up and started to pace as she called Gibbs on her mobile. But as Tony plugged his iPod earphones into his computer to listen to a message, she just managed to catch a glimpse of the picture he his is looking at, of a pretty redhead with blood running down her cheek… and a gun pointed to her head.

--

"What is it DiNozzo?" asked Gibbs as he responded to Ziva's call "this better be good". McGee was following him, presumably from Abby's lab.

"Well… we have a case… not strictly Navy related but we need to save a girl who is being held hostage"

"say again", this was weird, Gibbs thought, Tony was only ever this serious in the field… it must be something big.

"Well, I received this e-mail 5 minutes ago, the sender is encrypted but it is a video feed… I'll put it on the plasma"

Then it began. On the video was a young girl, she couldn't have been more than 21 years old, she had the nicest red hair and striking green eyes. Her mouth was gagged and he had tears… and blood running down her cheek. And there was a gun pointed at her head, and the man in the balaclava spoke to the camera: "Anthony DiNozzo, I have your daughter and I will have her die a slow, painful death if you do not do as I say. You will completely erase FBI case file 3558868200 from every database in the world, including the hardcopies, you have until sundown tomorrow to confirm that it has been dealt with. I'll be in touch"

The screen goes black. Everyone is silent. No-one knows what to say. All that they could do was stare at each other in disbelief.


	2. Confusion

Hope you liked the first chapter, this is my first fanfic so constructive criticism is needed.

How often I write chapters can vary, at the moment I am meant to be revising for my A-Levels but I am instead watching eppys of NCIS on the web and typing all my thoughts into this fic. This is my form of tension relief lol.

Thankyou for reading, Amy x

* * *

All sorts were running through Gibb's head; A daughter?? Tony and a daughter?? Even though Tony is Tony he just could not imagine him abandon or not be there for his own kid… which means that there are only 2 possible conclusions… so he broke the silence…

"McGee…?"

"On it Boss, I'm gonna call the FBI and ask then to send us a copy of the file then I'll do my best to track the e-mail"

Gibbs nodded. He had to admit, though not out loud, he has trained his team well even though they haven't even left the building yet.

"Tony…"

"Yeah Boss…?" Tony was staring at the floor, Gibbs could tell that Tony had no idea what was going on.

"Well, either this guy is under the impression that this young woman is your daughter and she really isn't or you really do…"

Tony was still in shock… Ziva still hadn't said a word; she too was trying to find the right thing to say.

"I have never seen that girl in my life, and it does not matter whether or not this kid is mine or if it just some part of a huge elaborate plan to ruin my life, we need to help her!"

"Agreed", Ziva finally spoke "but first we need to know all we can about this case file and about the hostage"

"we don't have enough time" snapped Tony "we have 36 hours-ish we cant just spend that reading some FBI nonsense" just then, he received a swift head-slap.

"Hey, we're all in shock here, don't go shouting at Ziva!" Gibbs interrupted.

"Shutting up Boss… sorry Ziva".

Tony continued to look at the floor, as Ziva looked at him. She hadn't seen him this distressed since his relationship with Jeanne and she was genuinely worried about him.

"We're all here for you Tony, remember that" she said as she laid a comforting hand on his arm… but just then for a split second their eyes met and it was then that she quickly let go of him. "What just happened?" Ziva thought to herself. Everything that Ziva had (or hadn't) said to Tony was present in that split-second… but now really wasn't the time to reveal true feelings…

Tony was too lost in himself to even think on the subject of him and Ziva… he didn't know how to feel. On one hand, there was a young girl, who needed help badly, her life was in their hands. However, on the other hand, they were related? She looked too old to be his daughter. This would have made him in his late teens when it happened… if it happened…"no" thought Tony… impossible… can't be…".

Then McGee interrupted the moment, "Boss, the FBI will be sending the files over within the hour, I'm gonna go down to the lab and work on this e-mail with Abby".

Gibbs was still lost in his thoughts, "you do that McGee", then he left… to go to the director's office.

* * *

20 minutes later…

"Tony… Director's office" Gibbs yelled as he approached the bullpen.

Tony stood up without saying anything. He was starting to get impatient. Shouldn't McGee have tracked the e-mail by now? They were losing valuable time. He then began to make his way to Jenny's office.

"Hey, DiNozzo" shouted Gibbs, "it's gonna be OK, we'll figure this out"; it was a very reassuring tone but unfortunately, even Gibbs couldn't make Tony feel better… the confusion… the worry…

As soon as he walked in Cynthia pointed to the door "you can go straight in".

"Agent DiNozzo" Jenny greeted, "The FBI just sent me the files and I thought that you should see them on your own first… before then team".

"Thankyou", his shock hadn't lifted, Jenny looked as stunned as he did, then he sat down and looked at the plasma… for the information that could change his life forever.


	3. The Past

**OK – thankyou for all your reviews and your concerns about her age are noted. I decided to base her age on the age of Michael Weatherly – who is 40 this year rather than the actual character who is said to be approx 35… so…I lowered it to 19, Gibbs can make a small teensy mistake can't he? oh erm I'v kinda blown it lol  
**

**Just to get one thing straight, I based the description of Amy, the victim on me… not that I was ever a victim of anything, just that I thought it would be a lot easier than cooking up some size zero blonde. However, this version is waaaay skinnier than me and much prettier lol**

enjoy. and once again thankyou x

* * *

Her eyes open… slowly… the blindfold that covered her eyes for most of the day has been removed and she was having trouble adjusting to the sunlight. Her captor insisted on moving to another place as soon as the video was made… just to be safe. She was in a new room… must have fallen asleep in the boot of the car she thought. All the memories of her childhood were flooding back. The safety and confidence she gained in the last ten years has escaped her completely… she was completely alone.

She sobbed to herself quietly as she looked around the cold, dark room with a window at the top of the wall, near the ceiling, which led her to the conclusion that she was in a basement of some kind. She touched her wrists, they were hurting from the handcuffs that he used to keep her restrained. It all happened so quickly…

Then the door opened and he walked in… menacingly. It reminded her of a scene in the third series of Battlestar Galactica, where one of the main characters is in a detention cell… she chucked to herself with the though… she watches way too much TV… here she is in a life-threatening situation thinking about TV - we all have our ways to stay sane...

He sat down on a chair he carried with him into the room and stared at her. She stared back. It wasn't until he saw her tears glistening in the brief sunlight that he began talking.

"I thought you should know that he got the e-mail. Tony DiNozzo cannot ignore this. Soon, I will be free and you will be safe…"

She flinched at the word "safe". To her "safe" meant lay in her comfortable bed, watching re-runs of Doctor Who and being with her mother. But to him it probably meant with him… in his bed… in a grave…

What she was thinking must have been evident on her face, it all happened so fast. He lunged on top of her and whispered in her ear "you will learn to obey me… even in the most simple of orders…", he unzipped his trousers.

She couldn't remember what face she was making to set him off, she couldn't care less to be quite honest because she was dead either way. But this did not stop her from screaming. She knew it was hopeless, that her screams will go unheard and that whoever else does hear with will probably go along with it... but she screamed nonetheless… because it was her last symbol of hope…

* * *

Tony prepared for Jenny to start telling him what he needed to know… then she began…

"Well… this FBI case file involves a young girl called Amy Joyce, 19 years old, from Manchester, UK", a picture popped up on the plasma. Tony stared at her; this picture was taken during happier times. She looked different from the video. She was beautiful, Tony thought, why does she deserve this?

"Her mother's name is Angela Joyce… it was Angela Simpson before she entered a protection programme 10 years ago… ring any bells?", her picture then appeared, next to her daughter's on the plasma… Tony recognised her immediately.

"Angela… oh God…she was one of my first girlfriends, she was a student in London and… er… it ended badly…"

Jenny stared at him… obviously wanting more detail…

"Look Director, its no secret that I have commitment issues, she was the first person who wanted to go down that path with me… I can see why now… she was intent on our relationship staying on track, but then I had to go back to the states and…it crumbled…"

Silence

Tony snapped back to reality, "Protection programme?" Another picture popped up, of a touch-looking man in a mug shot.

"This case goes back 10 years Tony. When Amy was 7, Angela remarried. To a Canadian… Zachary Phillips…it's the same as most domestically violent men: at first things were great then things started going bad for them"

"Define "bad"… please", remembering his manners. Tony had been nothing but grumpy towards Jenny… and she got all this information for him.

"He had a high income and lived the life, but then the company that he worked for was declared bankrupt and he couldn't find another job… because of possible involvement in the company's road to bankruptcy".

"The family were forced to move to a council house in Manchester in a very rough part of town, they were forced to live on benefits and he started drinking… same old story"

There was another pause, and then popped up some crime scene photos on the plasma, one was a knife with blood on it.

"One day when Amy was 10, Angela fought back", Jenny continued, "but when she went to get the phone to call 999 she went back to find Zachary had taken Amy… she was missing for a month" and then there was a picture of a little girl, with bruises on her neck and wrists, then there was a document with a child rape report on it…

"Oh my God…", Tony was feeling sick to his stomach, some things had turned out bad for this guy, but beating your wife to deal with it is one very bad thing… but to sexually abuse your own step-daughter… that is an entirely different frame of mind, the one of a psychopath…

Tony looked away from the pictures; they were extremely disturbing… this kid must have gone through hell…

Jenny broke the silence, "Tony… they caught Phillips a few days later, trying to get medical attention for the stab wound, it wasn't deep but over the 4 weeks he and the girl was missing it must have gotten infected".

"He was charged with Child Rape and Abduction and was sentence 25-life"

"So what's the problem?"

"Shortly after the trial, when they testified the British Police sent the case to the FBI, because they both wanted to go to America for protection. That's why the FBI has it and not the Manchester Metropolitan. But no doubt they will still have records…he escaped prison after being transferred to a minimum security prison for good behaviour and he was spotted in DC just 2 weeks ago"

"What? So no-one decided to track him when they saw him, since they had Britain's most wanted in our capital?" Tony snapped. He could not understand how a man who is an escaped convict had managed to get into the country and why, when he was spotted, he was not brought in… it did not make any sense…

"Someone decided to see where he would lead them because his name popped up from a cime syndicate situated in New York. They felt that Angela and Amy were perfectly safe since they were in California, but the trail went cold after 1 week, one of the agents got sloppy. A probie mistake…"

"So now this man, thinking he has doneresearch on this girl wants to be… pardoned??" he could not think of another word for it, this man wanted to be erased from all records...

"Looks like!"

"Well, what are we gonna do?"

"I have sent her DNA profiles to Abby, she will confirm if you are related within the next 20 minutes"

"And what about the mother… erm… Angela?"

"the FBI were escorting them to a safe house in DC when the car was hit. Angela was critically injured and he left her behind, he also put bullets through the heads of the FBI agents with them…"

"he has help… he has the help of some sort of gang? Or someone powerful enough to succeed in something like this - this crime syndicate"

"Exactly, I'll have Ziva make a few calls, see if Phillips has been "having lunch" or "getting friendly" with someone we don't like, we havent got all the information that we need because it is need-to-know"

"Well, I think this qualifies. I'll make some calls to the hospital, see if they can let me see… Angela. Thankyou Director" Tony began to walk out

"And Tony?" he looked back at Jenny…

"We'll get her back…"

But it still wasn't enough to convince him. He gave her a weak smile and walked out of the room and continued to his desk. Everyone looked at him as he sat down and sighed with his head in his hands. He heard Gibbs asking Ziva to check on McGee and Abby's progress, but she really knew why she had to go... Ziva shot Tony a look, a worried look, this told him that she was there for him...

After a few minutes Tony finally spoke.

"I just don't know how to feel Boss, this is a girl I don't know and… all I want to do is make sure that she is safe…I feel responsible for her…"

"Tony… if you received that e-mail without those word "I have your daughter" would you still feel the need to protect her?"

"Of course Boss… but that's because the e-mail was sent to me… ME!" just then, when he shouted at his Boss he received another slap on the back of the head…

"Pull yourself together DiNozzo! This girl, regardless of who she is, needs your help and if you cannot think rationally then I might have to pull you off the case"

"Gotcha Boss" he said with a slight hint of sarcasm.

It didn't matter, no matter what Jenny, Gibbs or even Abby could do would make him feel better. So much for wanting a good case…

Just then Gibb's phone rang "yeah Gibbs"

"Abby's found something" but Tony already knew, he was already halfway to the elevator.


	4. Sinking In

**A/N – Hey guys so sorry about the lack of update**

**As I said in a previous Chapter, I have been studying for my A-Levels, which finish on Friday**

**Today I had a rough English Lit exam, so rather than spending my evening revising for my Film Studies exam, I shall relax…**

**Thankyou to reviewers as well**

Just note, I'm not too keen on this chapter... so... erm...

**Enjoy x**

* * *

There was silence in the elevator on the way down to Abby's lab, Gibbs knows what it's like to lose a kid and even though Tony probably wouldn't exactly feel those same emotions, due to the fact he never knew her, he still knew that nothing could make you feel better in this situation…

As the elevator does opened, Tony was immediately knocked down by Abby's hug.

"Oh my God Tony, are you OK??" said a concerned Abby, then she noticed the look on Gibb's face and quickly changed the subject and she muttered "right erm…well" as she made her way back to her computer, where McGee was sat.

"Today Abby", Tony snapped as he and Gibbs followed her into the lab.

Tony felt the familiar palm on the back of his head and he sighed, "sorry Abby". Abby was rather shocked at this, so disposed of the scientific babble and just spat it out

"er…yes", she didn't know how else to put it… she felt useless towards Tony.

Silence

"Erm… Boss??"

"Yes McGee?"

"Well, the E-mail was difficult to trace because of the different…" Gibbs stopped him.

"Tim, please, just give us the human version"

"When I thought I finally had it I was blocked by an FBI server"

"come again?"

"the FBI have a tab on the computer and/or laptop that sent Tony this e-mail"

Just then, Gibb's phone rang, "yeah, Gibbs"

Without talking, he shut off his phone and muttered "about time…Tony… come with me"

* * *

Ziva was sat in Jen's office, she didn't know what to do, or say to Tony that would make him feel better so she decided to talk to Jen…

But it there was more silence than anything else.

"You love him, don't you?"

"How can you tell?"

"You seem more shocked than he does at the moment and, well, it was like with Roy…"

"please…stop…" she couldn't take anymore of this and began to leave…

"Ziva?"

"Yes…Director?"

Jen handed her a folder

"I managed to find some intel on Zachary Phillips while he was in prison, maybe you can brief the team… maybe if you dig a little deeper you might find something"

"Thank you"

Ziva walked out of Jen's office and began to quickly look through the file, it was not very reassuring.

* * *

Gibbs made his way out of the elevator with Tony following, and sat in Gibb's chair was an all too familiar face…Fornell.

"So tell me Jethro, why were you trying to hack into the computer of one of our undercover operatives"

"I don't know Tobias, why is your undercover agent sending e-mails with death threats and ransom being the subject?"

Tony decided that enough was enough and slammed his hands down on the desk just as McGee and Ziva were joining them in the bullpen. The noise quietened down.

"Look. OK, a girl is out there that needs saving, she needs our help and you two are bantering like an old married couple!"

"DiNozzo, if I ever see you lose control like that again…"

"I know. Boss, sorry Boss, sorry guys it's just…"; Tony sighs as he sits down in his chair with his head in his hands.

Fornell broke the silence, "Well, I have a few answers, but not a lot"

"As do I", sighed Ziva, with the folder in her hand.

Tony looked up at her, their eyes met again, he was glad she was there, just being there made him feel better than whatever Gibbs and/or Abby could say.

"Well… do you need an invitation??" yelled Gibbs as Fornell and Ziva started setting up the data to be put on the plasmas.

"And McGee?"

"Yeah Boss"

"Get me some coffee"


	5. Strangeways

Gibbs was gently sipping on the refill that McGee got for him. This was exactly what he needed.

Fornell started.

"Special Agent Peter Volkov went undercover with a Russian Cell based in London and in some parts of Washington DC" A picture popped up on the plasma as he said this. "He has been there for over 5 years now, discreetly feeding us Intel on the size of the cell and their intelligence and more importantly, any agency bribes. Russians can be very persuasive. He is also a valued member of the team and one of the most trusted".

"Does this connect with yours Ziva" Gibbs asked as he took another sip.

"Yes it does actually". On the other plasma a picture popped up of another man in a mugshot, "this is Alexander Green, his birth name is Alexander Petrov, he legally changed his name when he became a British Citizen in 1991." His birth certificate then appeared. Recognize the father's name Fornell?"

"Alexei Petrov? Yes he runs this cell, my undercover agent works very closely with him"

"Sorry Zee-vah but what does this have to do with Zachary Phillips?", Tony interrupted.

"Well Ton-ee, if you look at the mugshot you will see the words 'Strangeways Prison'"

"So?"

"Strangeways Prison officially changed it's name to Her Majesty's Manchester Prison somewhere in the mid-90s"

"So Green and Phillips knew each other?"

"More than that, they were cell mates. In 1998 Green was convicted to 12 years for armed robbery. Now, as you can imagine, he led a very sheltered life, and he, well, found prison rather unsettling. The only person who he connected with was Phillips. He was there to help him when he got into trouble. Green must have put in a good word with the parents".

Fornell then stepped in, "Sending the e-mail from Peter's computer was his way of telling us that he is involved with this one, but to get her back would mean to blow his cover".

"Don't be so dramatic Tobias, maybe there's a way of bringing down the cell and getting the girl back at the same time", Gibbs suggested.

"Her name is Amy, Boss, I am sick of her being referred to as a victim, the girl, the hostage, the list just goes on and on…"

"Sorry Tony, we're just treating it as if it was another case…"

"But it isn't Gibbs"

"Hey! What did I tell you about losing control?" Gibbs yelled followed by a sharp head slap. Typical, more head slaps in a personal case than a normal, absolutely bloody typical...

"well…" Ziva interrupted, "what do we know about her?"

"I put a profile together while Tony was speaking to Jen", said Gibbs. Tony was rather taken aback by this. Gibbs hardly ever did that. That was the job of Ziva and himself. This meant a lot to him.

"Amy, 20 years old. She requested when she was 18 that she attended University of Lincoln, UK to study…" Gibbs chuckled

"What Gibbs?"

"Film and Television Production. She has A-Levels in English Literature, Film Studies and Media Studies. She lived a happy childhood, after the trauma of her younger childhood , of course,but didn't show any interest into tracking down her father until 2 years ago, when her mother finally told her his name".

"Well what happened?" asked an inpatient Tony.

"Well, come one DiNozzo, what the hell do you do when you track down a guy you believe is your father? You can't just walk up to them and say hey, I'm your long-lost daughter from a fling 20-odd years ago"

Tony got the message. Just then, Tony's phone rang interrupting the conversation.

"Yeah, DiNozzo!"; he practically yelled down the phone out of sheer frustration.

A familiar distorted voice came from the earpiece. "I called to see if you were making progress, but by the tone of your voice I say you aren't".

Tony quickly mimed to the rest of the team and McGee immediately got to work on tracing the call. McGee had already placed a tab on the mobile, to record, everyone could hear it…

"Don't bother tracing, it is a satellite phone, not traceable"

But McGee continued anyway, which Tony appreciated.

"I want to speak to her, make sure you are holding up your end of the bargain. You know, just because the files are deleted doesn't mean that we can't hunt you down for abduction and the murder/attempted murder of several people"

"Better than a child rape/abduction in your record. Murder sounds less sickening than child abuse…"

"You sick bastard, I want to speak to her...NOW!"

"Fine…" Tony could hear noise in the background, "come on sweetie, Daddy wants to talk to you…"

He heard her voice for the first time. "Daddy?"; Tony froze, he didn't know what to say. Silent tears ran down his cheeks. The first time he is talking to his little girl, and he is letting her down… big time. He then made eye contact with Gibbs, who told him to keep going.

"Amy, has he hurt you?", he muttered

"Remember that film we watched that time? The one with Mel Gibson and Renee Russo"; Well this is weird, she, most likely, has the barrel of a gun pressed against her temple and all she can do is talk about movies…

"I'll get you outta there I promise…"

"Just remember the m…", and then she was gone.

"Less than 30 hours, you'd better get moving…" then the line went dead.

* * *

**Ah! There will be more... watch this space...**

* * *


	6. Ransom

**A/N **

**I do not like this chapter - I have just got in from a really unpleasent film studies exam... so... I'm all worn out  
**

**I felt the need to explain things in a discussion before moving on... it will be more fastpaced next time I promise**

* * *

Tony put the phone down in confusion. Mel Gibson? Renee Russo? Why? Why, in your first words to your father would you talk about a movie?

Gibbs placed a hand on his shoulder, "Tony?"

Tony quickly wiped his tears away, "erm… did you trace the call?"

"No" McGee answered, "but I am close to finding the location of the computer that sent the e-mail, maybe there will be some members of the cell that can be… of use to us".

"No" said Fornell, "we can't risk losing our undercover agent"

"Well contact him and tell him to help us!" yelled Gibbs, he too was starting to get impatient…

"What the hell was she talking about?" thought Tony out loud.

"Well, you tell us, you are the film buff, yes?"

Just at that moment, Gibbs came to realise Amy's intentions, "oh, she's clever… Tony she called you "Daddy", now how can a young woman, who was scared to even walk up to you just to introduce herself act as if you knew each other for years?"

It was then that Tony realized, "she hasn't told him that she doesn't know me? But why?"

Ziva intervened, "it gives her hope… the feeling that she might actually be rescued…"

"Mel Gibson… Renee Russo… "Tony whispered under his breath, "Of course! Ransom, 1996, Ron Howard movie…"

"But what is it about, DiNozzo?"

"A boy is kidnapped from his rich parents for ransom. But rather than paying it, Mel Gibson decides to use the money as a reward… to catch the kidnapper..."

Fornell scoffed, "Well what is she suggesting? That we plaster Phillip's photo on every single lamppost, tree and notice board in a 10-mile radius? Use his file against him?"

"No", said Ziva, "she's cleverer than you realize… presumably, the kid was found, yes?"

"Er, yeah, someone found the kid but it was actually the kidnapper turning on his accomplices to claim the money for himself, unfortunately the kid recognized his voice and didn't get away with it"

"Tony, my point is that the kidnapper could easily have killed the kid. But it want as simple as that. All he wanted was the money, not to kill him. I think the message she is sending us is either that we don't erase the file…"

"Which was the plan from the start" interrupted Fornell

"Or…" continued Ziva, "he would not kill her. He just wants to be a free man, and maybe keep her for himself; he's not a killer…"

There was an uncomfortable silence. It was as if everyone wanted to say, to do something more. Just then, Fornell's phone rang.

"Yeah?... OK… thanks, I owe you one" he hung up, "That was Agent Sacks, he has arranged for Peter to call us when he has someth…" he was interrupted by Tony miss-sentence.

"Oh, Fornell, you're a genius!"

"come again?"

"in the movie the kidnapper was a cop. She's with your undercover agent…" Tony smiled with satisfaction. But what did this mean?

Gibbs finally spoke, "DiNozzo, that could mean anything. He might have been captured too. Or maybe he spoke to her and told her to say that. Or maybe… he has been turned…"

"Not possible Jethro…", but just as he was about to explain his point Tony's desk phone rang.

"DiNozzo… yeah, thanks for letting me know…" he hung up and tuned to the others, "that was the Director, Angela Joyce has regained consciousness".

* * *

**and also... please tell me what my faults are, I would like to get better at writing**

**ta x**


	7. Gatsby's Sacrifice

Everything seemed to be going in fast-motion for Tony now

Terribly sorry

I just couldn't think, I'm sure I'm not alone in saying this

So I'm sorry if this chapter aint as good

X

Everything seemed to be going in fast-motion for Tony now. They were finally acting rather than thinking.

He sat in silence in the car while Gibbs was on his mobile on the way to the hospital. This greatly worried Gibbs because Tony was rarely silent.

"Yeah, thanks Fornell", he hung up.

"So?", Tony asked with anticipation.

"Fornell contacted Special Agent Volkov, he's arranged a meet"

"You mean a shootout?"

"To put it lightly, and we'll take him into custody, "interrogate him", he'll tell us everything he knows, then he'll go off the grid for a year or two before contacting the Petrovs again"

"Why?"

"Well, that's what anyone in any cell would do, undercover or not, not decrease the risk of being captured, tabbed etc etc. Just remember Tony, the FBI are sacrificing a very delicate operation just to see that we save her."

"I know, Boss. I can hardly believe it myself"

Gibbs looked at Tony as he continued driving. He wasn't telling him the whole truth. Between Peter, Fornell, Jen, himself and another individual, there was something else to this plan. But he daren't tell Tony.

In the bullpen.

"Are you sure about this Ziva?"

"I'll be fine Jen; I can take care of myself"

"But Tony- "

"Tony will thank me one day"

"He is already losing it because of Amy but if anything happened to you he would-"

"I think he has already shown that he does not think of me in that way"

Jen saw right through this. She knew that Ziva was tearing up inside and is using her Mossad training to cover up her feelings.

Ziva strapped on her bulletproof vest just as McGee walked in all set to go.

"Ziva, the FBI have sent us the co-ordinates they're waiting for us on site", Ziva nodded as she grabbed her gun from her desk drawer and made her way to the elevator with McGee.

"well what should I tell him", shouted and exasperated Jen from the bullpen.

Ziva stopped in her tracks and thought carefully. The Great Gatsby. She finished the book shortly after the e-mail came this morning. She thought of how Gatsby had changed his entire lifestyle to be with the one girl he loved. But she was artificial. She didn't know what she wanted. She chose her husband instead. And this led to Gatsby's murder. Typical! The one character in the book who isn't artificial; who doesn't let the boundaries of society stop his quest for her and he dies…

Well, _"I'm certainly not going to let my "quest" for someone to love me stop my life. I'm not going to let Tony break my heart like he has done to many girls in the past…_

"you know!", Ziva called back, just as the elevator doors closed.

_I am not going to die for him… I'll die for someone else…_

Tony and Gibbs were in the elevator at the hospital, patiently waiting for the little pinger to ping when they reached the 9th floor.

"god", sighed Tony, "now I know how Amy felt. What the hell am I supposed to say to her Boss?"

"Use your gut"

"So you don't know how I should approach this? Maybe you should do this"

"I can't, stay long. The "meet" is happening in a half-hour so I'll need to leave in ten minutes"

"I'm coming with you"

At that moment, Gibbs flipped the switch to make the elevator come to a grinding halt

"No, Tony. Angela needs someone. It's probably better for her to be with someone she knows rather than a hospital full of strangers and FBI bodyguards who could kill her at any second. She needs someone she trusts…"

"but…"

"No "buts" Tony. I know this is a sensitive issue but I cannot have you taking the law into your own hands"

"You've done it enough times, cant I have the limelight for once?"

The tension in the small elevator could be cut with a knife. Both men stared each other in what seemed like a lifetime. Gibbs was too shocked to even attempt a head slap. Instead, he did something that even Tony didn't anticipate.

"Tony, all day I have felt nothing but envy towards you. I would give anything to get Kelly back or to even see her, just to say a proper goodbye. I don't care how I'm gonna do it but I promise you I will do everything in my power to get her back alive. Are we clear?"

Tony took a deep breath, "OK Boss, you win" and he flipped the switch to continue going up, with an obvious look of bother on his face.


	8. The Meet

Gibbs stayed in the elevator when Tony departed. He felt it was best if he weren't there. He know how emotionally fragile Tony was feeling. As he saw Tony walk into a room being guarded by FBI agents, he pressed the ground button.

Tony looked into the room. The first thing he saw was a man stood outside a curtain, which was closed.

"DiNozzo, NCIS", he said holding up his badge.

"what does NCIS have to do with this?"

"need to know, and you don't", replied an agitated Tony.

"woah, sorry, just doing my job"

"I know"

Tony moved towards the curtain and peeped round the opening.

And there she was.

Angela was curled up in the bed quietly sobbing to herself.

"Angie?"

"I wouldn't bother" shouted the FBI agent. "She hasn't said a word since waking up".

"She might respond to me"

"Why?"

Tony shot him a scathing look.

"Right, need to know" he said holding his hands up. Tony turned back to her.

"Angie?" he said but this time, putting a hand on her back and half sitting on the bed.

Angela reacted to the touch. She turned her head round and her eyes widened when she realised who was sat next to her.

"Tony?"

"Yeah, its me" he said with a half-smile.

She sat up next to him.

"Why are you here?"

"Phillips sent me a ransom video at work"

"Where do you work?" she asked quietly.

"NCIS", she looked at him questioningly, "Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It's a federal agency"

"I see"

The conversation was then followed by silence. Until Tony asked the inevitable question.

"Angie, erm, why didn't you tell me about her?" he said with small tears forming in his eyes.

She looked him in the eye, also with tears, "I don't know Tony. I was young and scared and felt you wouldn't have been interested and… maybe none of this would have happened"

And with those words, she cried even more than she had since waking up. Tony pulled her into a hug, and both let their emotions fully take over…

* * *

Gibbs looked on as he saw Tony comforting Angela and thought back to the conversation in the elevator. He knew he was hard on him but the last thing he needed was for Tony to give in to his anger and his confusion. He pressed the button in the elevator and made his way to his car.

Just as he started the ignition, his phone began to ring.

"yeah, Gibbs"

Gibbs recognized Fornell's voice, "We're based a couple of blocks from the house"

"Tobias, are you going on without me?"

"David has volunteered to go on with the mission"

"NO, Tobias, I am going to do it"

"too late Gibbs, things are already in motion. Petrov and the most important people in the cell are in this house. Hitting it with a SWAT team would eradicate it AND Peter is going to escape"

"but-"

And in the background, Gibbs heard a shower of gunfire in the distance"

"gotta go" and Fornell hung up.

* * *

Ziva was pinned down by gunfire behind an armchair. Well, "pinned down" in the sense that she could easily kill the man shooting at her but that wasn't the plan.

Seconds later, the man shooting suddenly grabbed her arm and lifted her up. Ziva recognized him as Peter.

"David?" whispered Peter.

"it is pronounced Dah-veed actually"

"Sorry. But we can't stop and chatl, time to go. Sorry if I hurt you at any point but-"

"it is necessary I know"

Peter then roughly smacked Ziva across the face, effectively knocking her out. And as the black took over Ziva, all she could think of was Tony…

* * *

Gibbs arrived at the street where Fornell was based. He was fuming. He knew that the gunfight had already finished because he could here the sirens of the ambulances in the distance. And the feeling in his gut was not a good one.

"Fornell, why did you send of my team into that house?"

"actually I sent two"

"you sent McGee in there as well? Why?"

"well, he is a field agent, it is what he is supposed to do"

Gibbs was truly speechless.

After a silence between the two that was only broken by the continuing sound of sirens.

"was it successful?"

"Alexei Petrov is dead, as are all his main men. Peter has just confirmed that he has "kidnapped" Officer David and that he and another member of the cell escaped. They should be arriving at the location of the hostage. The cell could easily rise again. Alexander Green's sentence ends soon"

"why couldn't he just tell you where she is?"

"he says that he doesn't thoroughly know where. This is why he is with the other member, because this guy DOES know"

"they never make it easy"

"that's the fun of the game"

"I'll make sure Tony and Angela know that when they bury their daughter", Gibbs said in a rather sinister tone.

"Don't be so dramatic Jethro. I'm on my way there now. You coming?"

"on my way"

By the time they reached the house, a lot of people were gathered round, intrigued by what was going on. Or "nosey" as Gibbs liked to call them.

The first thing that caught Gibb's eye was a familiar face: Tim McGee, on a gurney, heading for an ambulance… torso covered in blood.


	9. Sine Qua Non

I am not in a creative mood today, but felt I needed to update... so this is not my fav chapter. enjoy!!!

* * *

Ziva woke up in the boot of a car. She was gagged and had her hands tied behind her back.

She winced at the painful bruise that was forming from Peter's blow to her face as well as the increasing rockiness of the car.

The car then came to an abrupt halt, and she heard the car doors slam shut. She could hear voices from just outside the boot.

"We should just kill her and get it over and done with", shouted an unknown voice.

"No Simon, we have more leverage with her. Phillips knows she is part of DiNozzo's team. Holding a female colleague hostage is bound to strike a few chords whether he has personal feelings for her or not" argued Peter.

After a few seconds silence, the unknown guy finally answered, "We'll let Phillips decide what to do with her".

Ziva winced at the sunlight as the boot finally opened.

"Get up!" ordered the man Ziva assumed was Simon as he dragged her out of the boot.

She noticed that they were in the middle of a forest, and that they were walking towards a large abandoned cabin. They walked into as room with tables filled with computer equipment, presumably for surveillance and video purposes. And she was pushed violently to the floor.

"So what do we have here?" asked a male voice.

Ziva looked up and recognized Phillips. He slowly walked up to her and ungagged her.

"Ziva David… Mossad Liaison Officer" he said in a sinister way. She didn't reply. She just stared into his cold grey eyes, feigning fear. She wasn't rattled by him, but knew that Phillips might suspect something if she showed it.

"So, do they plan on deleting the file?"

"I do not know" she replied timidly.

"Liar" he whispered in her ear. "You know exactly what they are going to do, don't you?"

"How can you expect me to answer with me here and not there?" she pleaded. "They might actually do it when they realize I am missing?"

"What shall we do with her?" interrupted Simon. "If we kill her, then they will know we are serious"

"No!" intervened Peter, "If we kill her then they will not do anything."

"I don't care. All this was about was this bastard's quest for revenge and pardoning. And because of that my father is dead and the cell is crippled. We should just kill them both right now"

Phillips looked up at Simon.

"I'm sorry your father is dead Simon but you know what? I don't like you either"

And in a blink of an eye, Phillips lifted a gun from the back of his trousers and shot Simon cold dead in-between the eyes.

"Thankyou for bringing her to me Peter. You will be rewarded for this… and that is your life. If you EVER do what he just did you will meet his end. Put her with the other one"

Visibly shaken by what just happened, he grabbed Ziva by the arm and dragged her to the door of the basement, shoved her through it and closed the door, locking it behind him.

Ziva made her way down the stairs and looked around. A room with the only light coming from a small window at the top of a wall. Her eyes continued to the other side and she noticed the beaten and bloodied figure of Amy Simpson…

* * *

Meanwhile, Gibbs rode with Tim in the ambulance to the hospital. He left Fornell in charge of the crime scene, in other words he left them to do the leg-work for him.

"Tim? Talk to me Tim" pleaded Gibbs.

"Boss?" Tim managed to say through the pain of the gunshot wound. "Is…is…it bad?"

Gibbs looked at the wound; it was a through-and-through in his right shoulder. He noticed that he was loosing blood quickly.

"Ah, I've seen worse Tim"

Tim smiled, "You sure you're not saying that to make me feel better?"

"Nope" Gibbs said as he put pressure on the wound, "you'll be just fine"

"Did... Ziva… get in?"

"She did"

"that's good" he whispered just as he slipped out of consciousness…

* * *

"I need you to tell me exactly what happened" Tony said to Angie, who felt a bit better after her moment with Tony.

"Well, erm, we were in a car being driven by FBI agents. Amy was on her mobile to a friend back home discussing something called the final cylon", Tony threw her a questioning look, "I don't get it either" she smiled.

"Then, without warning, the car just got quicker. The Agent was driving rather dangerously through the traffic and he just told us to be calm and that it could be a false alarm." Tears started forming in her eyes. "then there was this explosion behind us, it was the other car that was escorting us. It caused our car to role over…"

Tony held her hand as she continued to recall events, "I could feel her next to me. She wasn't as hurt as I was. But she didn't move. Then some men appeared at the window and shot the Agents and one of them dragged her away." She started crying.

"I tried to grab her but they were too quick. I don't know if I dreamt this but I swore I heard a man whisper to me that she would be okay, and he promised me that they wouldn't let anyone kill her and then I blacked out"

"The FBI has an undercover agent with the cell that your ex-husband is connected to. My Boss doesn't believe in coincidences but, its one of those rare cases that it is-" then the sound of his phone ringing interrupted him.

"DiNozzo"

"I thought I'd give you an update" said Jenny's voice down the line.

"Go on"

"We raided the cell's main hideaway and took out most of their main people and the main person. Peter then took Ziva and-"

"What? Ziva's been kidnapped?"

"It was part of the plan Special Agent DiNozzo. We have equipped her with multiple tracking devices that Abby is processing right now. But we don't know how many people are at the location. It could be a skeletal crew or a large congregation. We are going to verify this with satellite imagery once Abby has verified the location"

It was at this point in the conversation when he realized that it should be Gibbs updating him, not the director.

"Is Gibbs okay?"

"He never made it to the location. He got there in time to see it end. He is currently escorting McGee to the same hospital where you are at right now. He caught a bullet in his shoulder"

"I can understand Ziva going in if that was part of the plan but what the hell was Probie doing in there?"

"Fornell sent him in"

"Bastard!"

After giving Tony as few seconds to calm down, Jenny continued.

"I'm sure this will all be wrapped up within the next few hours"

"yes.. Erm thankyou Director I'm sorry about my outburst"

"I hold the same policy on apologies as Gibbs, Tony. I'll keep you updated."

Tony hung up. "The undercover Agent is with Amy now. So we will know pretty soon what her status is"

"You mean if she is alive or dead"

Tony looked down knowing that she was right. And then he stood up.

"One of my colleagues was hurt. I'm just gonna go down to the ER to see if he is okay. I'll be right back"

He squeezed her hand assuringly then made his way out of the room and to the elevator.


End file.
